High speed inkjet marking devices for large sized cut sheets are particularly constrained using contemporary systems with regard to production output, media type and image quality. Also, such systems tend to be inflexible and difficult to change or modify, particularly with regard to their automated components. Thus, when additional or different print cells, types of marking or sheet handling systems need to be used, one system may not be able to accommodate the entire job.
Also, document processing devices, including high speed inkjet printing assemblies, include systems for transporting sheets of substrate media there-through. In order to increase the throughput of the device, the transport systems are designed to move the media rapidly along a media processing path. However, transporting large media such as cut sheets as large as 60″×40″, can be more difficult. Large media can be harder to hold flat across a large printing zone. Also, image quality can be an issue when printing across a large printing zone.
Contemporary large sheet printers use a multi-pass system in which a sheet of paper moves under fixed heads multiple times or the heads move over the paper multiple times. Multiple passes between the print heads and the sheet reduce productivity by slowing down production and tend to diminish image quality due to the difficulties in targeting the sheet in the desired location on different passes.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a flexible, efficient and cost effective media transport system and method for marking large size cut sheets that maintains high quality output within a single system and that overcomes other shortcomings of the prior art.